Danzi's Wind Quintets, Op. 56, offer a persuasive combination of satisfying craftsmanship and appealing tunefulness that owes much to their dedicatee, Anton Reicha. Reicha had established the wind quintet instrumentation with his own works in the genre, and his equal treatment of the instruments is successfully imitated by Danzi in these enjoyable pieces, composed in 1821.
The Michael Thompson Wind Quintet are up against strong competition from the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, whose issue of Danzi's Op. 56 was warmly received by JD. However, Michael Thompson and his team here display a comparably fine blend of ensemble playing and soloist skills, effectively capturing this music's simple melodic charm and formal concision. Sample any of the sonata-form first movements, sensitively phrased slow movements, robust minuets or energetic finales. However, the dry, bright recording given to the Thompson Quintet has the tendency to sound too severe, emphasizing the mechanics of the actual performance as, for example, in the opening of the finale from the Third Quintet. By comparison, atmospheric recording presents the Berlin Quintet's exquisite ensemble with impeccable precision. Nevertheless, the Thompson's stylishly played programme, which also includes an engaging account of Danzi's Sextet – the composer's only contribution to the 'Harmonie' repertoire – makes an attractive disc.'